a stem cell is a cell whose function has not been decided. stem cells have the potential to become any type of cell that exists, at least in humans. every person has stem cells, but the older you are, the harder it is to find these cells, because less of them exist. the most easy place to get these cells from is the BLASTOCYST form of fetal development; herein lies the bige controversy of embryonic stem cell research

an example is someone who has diabetes. this disease causes cell in the pancreas to stop functioning and eventually die. stem cells have the potential to repair the problem before it even happens.

Cells that maintain the ability to replicate them selves as well as form other cells of the body.
Two major classificiations exist; embyronic stem cells which are totipotent or pluripotent and can make any cell of the organisms body and adult or tissue specific stem cells which are multipotent and can produce only a limited range of cell types.
Often confused by the laymen and stupid right-wing politicians as tiny little babys but really more similar to dandruff than babys.

Maybe if we said that some gay french muslims were using diabetes and parkinsons to terrorize christian evangeslists he would athorize 200 billion dollars and 2000 cell lines (or paa-tench-al persons 4 u Dubs), (though at 50 trillion cells per dead GI we should really get around 100'000 trillion stem cells)

this is a more simple definition of it. before the human body developes it has stem cells, which are like blank cells, that will eventually become other things, if stem cells are put next to muscle tissue, it will become muscle tissue etc. you can get them from aborted fetuses and they could cure diseases like alzheimers, because they might beable to put the stem cells in the people, and have them replicate and rebuild the brain cells. and yes, as the other person said "Often confused by the laymen and stupid right-wing politicians as tiny little babys but really more similar to dandruff than babys"

stem cells could save millions of people but republicans wont let that happen